This invention relates to an apparatus for applying dust such as a powdered lubricant to the surface of rubber articles.
In the manufacture of articles of rubber or plastic materials it is often times necessary to apply a coating of dust such as talc, powdered mica, soapstone or starch to the adhesive surfaces of the materials to prevent the material from adhering to similar material with which it comes in contact. Particularly, in the manufacture of tires this is very important, otherwise the various components of the tires such as beads, flipper materials, treads, sidewall rubber and related parts must be kept separated to prevent sticking. In the manufacture of beads, provision is made to space the formed beads on a storage rack to prevent their sticking together as they are prepared for subsequent use at the tire forming or building machine. In the present invention, a new and improved bead dusting apparatus is located adjacent to the bead manufacturing machine to dust the formed bead to permit stacking and handling for subsequent use without concern as to adhesion between adjacent beads. In addition, with the proper dusting as taught by this invention, the placement of the bead onto the tire carcass and during the subsequent shaping of the tire; the material surrounding the bead will be permitted to rotate around the bead during such shaping operation.